1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording material which is useful for recording a desired information using a pattern of actinic rays and converting the recorded information to a visible image. More particularly, the present invention relates to an image recording material comprising an electroconductive base plate, a recording layer of particular constitution provided on said base plate and a photosensitive layer of particular constitution provided on said recording layer, wherein a desired information can be recorded in the photosensitive layer in a form of a latent image by using a pattern of actinic rays and then the latent image can easily be converted to a visible image formed in the recording layer by subjecting the recording layer to electrochemical development.
2. Description of the Related Art
A number of methods are known for recording information using an actinic ray pattern or a thermal pattern. These methods use an image recording material comprising a base plate and a photosensitive or heat-sensitive layer provided on the base plate, whose physical, chemical, electrical or magnetic properties are changed by an actinic ray pattern or by a thermal pattern. When the pattern is applied to the photosensitive or heat-sensitive layer, a visible change appears or a recorded image which can be read out by an appropriate reading-out means which is formed in the photosensitive or heat-sensitive layer. The photosensitive layer is formed from a photosensitive material in many cases and the material includes polymers, coloring substances and their mixtures.
Thus, the photosensitive layer of the image recording material in the conventional recording methods utilizing a pattern of actinic rays generally employs a photosensitive polymer or a photosensitive coloring substance. Therefore, in forming a photosensitive layer from such a raw material, the material must be handled with thorough care.
In more detail, when a photosensitive layer is formed from a material sensitive to light such as visible light or ultraviolet rays, sufficient care must be taken to protect the material before use from exposure to light. For the same reason, greater care must be taken in storage of an image recording material comprising said photosensitive layer. Otherwise, the recording material loses its photosensitivity before use and becomes useless.
Even if such care is taken, conventional image recording materials utilizing a pattern of actinic rays are insufficient in storage stability after recording and have no satisfactory reliability for long storage.
Under such circumstances, a high demand still exists for an image recording material whose photosensitive layer can easily be formed without paying any special care and wherein information can easily be recorded and the recorded information can be stored stably over a long period of time, as well as for a recording method using such an image recording material.